Unisex name ★ peaked 2012

Kellen

Meaning A male or female given name Gender Unisex · 7% girls Rank 2025 #1,069 Trend ↓ Falling 27%

A male or female given name.

Rank 2025
#1,069
among boys · ↓35 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
207
named Kellen · -4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 8,456
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2012
954 babies
All-time total
18,307
#904 all-time among boys
First recorded
1954
in Social Security records

Kellen popularity over time

18,307 babies have been named Kellen since 1954, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – 43 43 4 – #2,565
1960s 65 43 108 11 +151% #2,778
1970s 12 26 38 4 -65% #3,700
1980s 380 2,854 3,234 323 +8411% #412
1990s 349 1,981 2,330 233 -28% #659
2000s 229 4,398 4,627 463 +99% #431
2010s 176 6,167 6,343 634 +37% #337
2020s (to 2025) 54 1,530 1,584 264 -58% #799

Where Kellen is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 192 0.11 outside top 500
2027 183 0.11 outside top 500
2028 176 0.10 outside top 500
2029 171 0.10 outside top 500
2030 166 0.10 outside top 500

Where Kellen is most popular

Boys named Kellen per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.143 per 1,000. Strongest in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Kellen born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Washington 75 0.458 +220%
Idaho 18 0.440 +207%
Oregon 30 0.395 +176%
South Dakota 6 0.322 +125%
North Dakota 5 0.293 +104%
Minnesota 34 0.277 +93%
Oklahoma 24 0.271 +89%
Iowa 18 0.261 +82%
Missouri 34 0.245 +71%
Pennsylvania 61 0.230 +60%
Ohio 59 0.223 +55%
Colorado 27 0.209 +46%
Wisconsin 24 0.203 +41%
Virginia 37 0.195 +36%
Kansas 12 0.175 +22%
Michigan 35 0.171 +19%
Massachusetts 22 0.160 +12%
Illinois 40 0.157 +9%
Nebraska 6 0.138 ≈ national
Indiana 20 0.125 -13%
California 92 0.101 -30%
Texas 88 0.100 -30%
Florida 46 0.097 -32%
Arkansas 6 0.095 -34%
New York 41 0.095 -34%
New Jersey 19 0.094 -34%
Maryland 11 0.092 -36%
North Carolina 20 0.078 -45%
Connecticut 5 0.074 -49%
Georgia 17 0.067 -53%
Utah 6 0.063 -56%
Arizona 10 0.061 -57%
South Carolina 6 0.058 -60%
Tennessee 5 0.028 -81%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Kellen

Kellen is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,069 in 2025 with 202 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1954, 18,307 American babies have been named Kellen, about 93% boys and 7% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2012, when 954 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Kellen stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Kellen?

The median living Kellen is about 17 years old; half are between 12 and 30. An estimated 18 thousand people named Kellen are alive in the United States today.

median 17 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Kellen year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 5 #16,130 202 #1,069
2024 – – 216 #1,034
2023 10 #9,967 251 #920
2022 14 #7,844 299 #831
2021 12 #8,727 271 #863
2020 13 #8,193 291 #799
2019 11 #9,422 308 #770
2018 12 #8,897 347 #699
2017 10 #10,353 420 #623
2016 16 #7,429 440 #611
2015 25 #5,379 569 #507
2014 12 #9,263 672 #444
2013 19 #6,592 759 #394
2012 22 #6,010 932 #337
2011 23 #5,842 880 #344
2010 26 #5,327 840 #359
2009 24 #5,801 653 #431
2008 23 #6,038 628 #447
2007 20 #6,695 519 #511
2006 21 #6,246 487 #525
2005 20 #6,137 471 #521
2004 37 #3,866 475 #513
2003 30 #4,358 387 #574
2002 17 #6,540 270 #680
2001 15 #7,140 242 #724
2000 22 #5,234 266 #671
1995 39 #2,999 227 #704
1990 27 #3,847 234 #659
1985 40 #2,460 355 #454
1980 9 #7,064 44 #1,439
1975 7 #7,521 5 #5,914
1970 – – – –
1965 11 #4,066 5 #4,200
1960 – – 10 #2,778
1955 – – 5 #4,136
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Kellen, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Kellen?

The median living Kellen is about 17 years old. Half of all living Kellens are between 12 and 30 years old.

How many people named Kellen are alive today?

An estimated 18 thousand people named Kellen are alive in the United States, based on 18,307 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Kellen mean?

A male or female given name.

How popular is the name Kellen in 2025?

Kellen ranked #1,069 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 202 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kellen?

18,307 babies have been named Kellen in the United States since 1954, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kellen most popular?

Kellen peaked in 2012, when 954 newborns received the name.

Is Kellen a boy or girl name?

Kellen is used for both: about 7% of babies named Kellen have been girls and 93% boys.

Is the name Kellen rising or falling?

Kellen is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Kellen become more popular?

Kellen is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 166 boys named Kellen in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Kellen

Names that sound and feel close to Kellen: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Kellen with similar names → More names starting with K →